Making a delicious foamy cappuccino doesn't require any expensive equipment, whatever your local barista tells you! In fact, all you need to produce perfect milk froth is a wire whisk or a simple glass jar. Start with Step 1 below to find out how, and you'll soon be drinking sophisticated cappuccinos every day of the week!

Pour milk into a cup or saucepan. Pour the required amount of milk into a microwavable cup or metal saucepan, depending on whether you plan on heating your milk in the microwave or on the stove. You will need about 1/2 cup of milk for every cappuccino.

Use the wire whisk to create foam. Once the milk is heated, place the wire whisk into the milk and twirl the handle between your palms to create foam. Keep twirling the whisk until you achieve the desired amount of foam.

Pour the milk into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Pour a 1/2 cup of milk into a glass jar. The milk should not rise above the halfway point, as you need to leave enough room for the froth to expand.

Remove the lid and microwave the milk. Take the lid off the jar and place it in the microwave. Heat on high for approximately 30 seconds, or until steam begins to rise from the milk. The foam should begin to stabilize in the microwave, rising to the top of the milk.[1]

Use milk with a higher fat percentage. Whole milk, or half-and-half tend to foam better than milk with a lower fat percentage, such as 2% or skim. Whole milk also tends to produce a sweeter tasting foam than low-fat milk. However, the type of milk you use is largely a matter of preference, and you can still produce good results with low-fat milk.[2]

Make strong, good-quality coffee. Of course, the quality of your cappuccino doesn't just depend on the foam, it will also depend on how good you coffee is. Use strong, good-quality coffee and make sure it's nice and hot. You should prepare the coffee before you prepare the milk.

Tap the bottom of the cup, saucepan or jar to remove any large bubbles. Once the foam is heated, give the cup, saucepan or jar a quick swirl followed by a light tap on the kitchen counter. This causes any large bubbles to pop, compressing the foam.[3]

Use a spoon to hold back the foam. When adding the milk to the coffee, you should use a spoon to hold back the foam until the cup is 2/3 full. Then use the spoon to scoop the foam on top of the milky coffee.

Finish with some chocolate powder. To make the perfect cappuccino, sprinkle a little cocoa powder or even grated chocolate on top of the foamed milk. The heat should cause the chocolate to melt slightly. Enjoy!

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Microwave cooking times vary. The important thing is for the milk to reach the point just before boiling, when steam begins to rise off the milk, but no bubbles have formed.

Any type of fresh milk--skim, whole, even half-and-half--will work, but the quality and consistency of the foam will vary. Whole milk makes richer, finer foam, while skim milk tends to make stiff foam.

You can use a saucepan to heat the milk. Watch the milk for that critical scalding point just described, and then pour the milk into the cups. (You can also froth the milk directly in the saucepan, but will probably obtain less froth this way.)

To get the best possible froth, be sure to start with fresh milk, a cup that is not too wide (just slightly wider than the diameter of the whisk is ideal), and twirl very briskly.

Warnings

Watch the cups in the microwave closely the first few times you do this to be sure milk doesn't boil over. Learn the ideal heating time for your microwave.

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